The Jehovah's Witnesses argue that the stauros actually means "pillar" or "post" and that those of us who litter cross shapes around the place are actually pagans because that shape shows up in pagan religions which antedate Xty. Naturally I countered that the central pillar of an old style Japanese house was considered sacred in Shinto, and that the KW sect was incorporating elements of Japanese nature religion by giving pillars such prominence. Awkward silence ensued. Few Witnesses have a good sense of humor. My attitude is that the misappropriation of language by people who are wrong does not render the language useless to those who are right. They may have thought their Aphrodite/Artemis/Hera figure was queen of heaven. That doesn't mean there is no one to whom the title can be given, it just means they were suckered by an imposter.
I understand your points and could go some of the distance with you on them.
I think I’ll stop there.